Hollywood Nights
by Lady Scarlet-Une
Summary: AU Songfic, Duo gets seduced.


Hollywood Nights

song and lyrics by Bob Seger

a songfic by Lady Scarlet-Une

"So how are you, Duo?"

"World worn and weary," he replied with a smile. "You wouldn't _understand_ how exhausting it is to be a world renouned lady's man! I mean, they keep coming and coming and coming!"

Across the table, Catherine Barton laughed while her brother Trowa merely smiled quietly.

"Oh sure, Duo. It's the hair, right?" Catherine teased as she gently tugged Duo's long brown braid.

"Oh yeah. Chicks dig men with hair longer than theirs," Trowa dead-panned. All laughed some more before Duo settled down to give them an honest answer.

"Well, it's been rather stressful at the garage this year. Good labor's really hard to find these days, especially in a small Michigan town like Dilworth. I'm just so glad to get away from it all for awhile."

"Oh God, Dilworth. I never want to hear that name again," Catherine moaned. "Never EVER will I go back to that God forsaken town."

"Hey, it's not all that bad, Catherine. We just got a Piggly Wiggly."

Catherine shuddered. "Well, no need to worry now, Duo," she replied in a firm voice. "We'll make this a memorable vacation."

"If this restaurant's any indication of how the rest of my week is gonna be, I won't need my camera." Glancing around him, Duo couldn't help but marvel at the posh surroundings. "What exactly do you do again, Catherine?"

"Catherine smiled enigmatically. "I make lots of money."

"Going for that whole feminine mystique thing again, I see," he replied absently as he continued scanning the surroundings. Then his gaze fell on a woman.

_She stood there bright as the sun on that California coast_

_He was a Midwestern boy on his own _

_She looked at him with those soft eyes, so innocent and blue_

_He knew right then he was too far from home_

_ "_Who's that?" Duo breathed as his eyes locked with those of the elegant woman across the room. Catherine followed his gaze and narrowed her eyes. 

"No one I know," she replied neutrally. She and Trowa shared a look. 

"Are you ready to go, Duo?" Trowa inquired politely. Duo broke his gaze and shot an embarrassed grin across the table. 

"Yeah. Sorry about that. Guess I'm not up to my usual woman killer par tonight," he replied as he stood. He gamely offered his arm out to Catherine as they strolled towards the exit.

"Oh, I think you're doing an excellent job, Duo," Catherine teased as she accepted his offering.

"Hey. That's my sister."

Duo and Catherine stared at Trowa for a few seconds before bursting out into laughter. Trowa shook his head and walked out the entrance after them. 

Across the room, a pair of eyes trailed after them. 

"What's so interesting, Hilde?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all, Noin."

Noin raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "Oh please. I know you quite better than that. You've just thought of something perfectly dastardly, haven't you?" Noin leaned forward, a sly smile on her face. "Do share."

Hilde leaned back in her chair and smiled over the rim of her wine glass. "Oh, nothing much, nothing much at all. It's just..." She let her sentence trail off as her neutral expression turned wicked. "I think I've found a new play toy." She glanced pointedly at the now empty table to her left. Noin stared at it for a few seconds before throwing her head back and laughing.

"You've got to be kidding me. I know you absolutely hate Catherine, but don't you remember the last time you tried to lure her brother away? I didn't think you had such a high toleration for humiliation, Hilde," Noin mocked. 

"No, not him," Hilde replied icily. "Their little friend." 

"That gangly unkempt boy with the hair?" Noin curled her lip in disgust. "Why even bother? I wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole."

"Yes. But Catherine obviously would and does." 

Hilde held Noin's gaze until she saw understanding in the other woman's eyes. 

"I see. Oh my. That truly would be wicked."

Hilde leaned back and sipped her wine. "I know."

_She took his hand and she led him along that golden beach_

_They watched the waves tumble over the sand_

_They drove for miles and miles up those twisting turning roads_

_Higher and higher and higher they climbed_

The chime of the doorbell startled Duo out of his book. He felt uneasy as he strode to answer the door. He couldn't help but feel like an interloper despite his welcomed presence in Catherine and Trowa's house. The cool decor and overall elegance just seemed so at odd with his laid back style and sloppy appearance. Answering the door just seemed like he was overstepping some sort of boundary or something. But since he was the only one home...

"Hi. Is Catherine home?" The low voice perfectly matched the polished figure before him. Duo felt his breath catch in the back of his throat as he looked down at the person before him. It was that woman from the restaurant.

"No, she's at work now." 

The woman raised her sunglasses to reveal a pair of startling bright eyes. "And you are?"

"Duo Maxwell," he replied as he automatically stuck his hand out. The woman took his hand in what he uneasily perceived as amusement. All thought fled when her eyes came back up to meet his. Mesmerizing.

"Hilde Schbeiker. You're exactly the person I was looking for, Duo," she replied with small smile. "Catherine's said so much about you."

"Me?" He was quite surprised. Hadn't Catherine said she didn't know of this woman the night before?

"Yes. She wanted me to guide you around town today since she and Trowa were going to be busy. It's your vacation, after all." She lowered her sunglasses back into place and turned around. "We've got a long day ahead of us."

Duo stood rooted in the doorway. For some odd reason, he felt reluctant. "But Catherine didn't mention you."

Hilde turned around and smiled at him. "It was a surprise." She held out her hand. "Are you coming?"

Duo stared into her face uncertainly for a few moments. He tried to get past the mirrored lenses of her sunglasses, but only saw his distorted reflection instead. Mentally shaking off his uneasy feeling, he closed the door and took her hand.

"Lead on, good lady," he replied cheerfully.

And behind her mirrored sunglasses, Hilde's eyes brightened in triumph.

_And those Hollywood nights_

_In those Hollywood hills_

_She was looking so right_

_In her diamonds and frills_

_All those big city nights_

_In those high rolling hills_

_Above all the lights_

_She had all of the skills_

The day and Hilde whirled around Duo. Looking back, he could never remember the order of or the actual events, but stark images stuck out in his mind like a kaleidoscope of memories. Each frame captured her face in a variety of poses, each startling in their beauty and clarity. Lunch in the chic bistro had shadowed her face in dim lighting. Sunlight at the beach had infused her with a sort of radiance. The smoky jazz club painted her in muted shades of beauty and temptation. But it was her face in the pure clean moonlight that did him in.

"Tell me about yourself, Duo," she said as they sat on the hood of her car. Below them, the twinkling lights of Los Angeles glittered in the darkness, an imperfect imitation of the twinkling stars above them.

"Oh, I'm sure I'm not that interesting," he replied bashfully. He kept his gaze on the scenery below. He feared that if she saw his eyes, she would see the desire there. It would ruin the magic.

"Oh, c'mon," she replied playfully, her voice light. "Here. I'll tell you about myself in exchange." He didn't reply, but she took his silence as an affirmation. "I come from a small town in Oklahoma, of all places. A little podunk town in the middle of nowhere where the one radio station plays Patsy Cline every hour and gives a crop report every half hour."

Duo smiled in the darkness. He knew what she was talking about.

"My father owned the local hardware store and my mother taught at the elementary school. Their highest aspirations were to can enough vegetables and win the local cooking contest every year." 

"I can imagine," Duo replied. 

"Yes. I was their only daughter and their highest aspiration for me was to marry the richest man in town. The banker," she mocked. "But I wanted more than all that, so I left town when I was eighteen and didn't look back." She smoothed the skirt of her sundress. "I got to California five years later, established myself, and... Well, here I am now," she finished smoothly.

"Do you ever want to go back?" She glanced at him sharply, but his gaze was still fixed on the city landscape.

"Sometimes," she replied wistfully. "Sometimes I long for something much simpler than what I have here. It's hard to live out here, Duo, the people just aren't as pure and honest as they were back home." Duo turned his head and looked at her profile. "But then again, I'm not what I used to be back then. I'm much different now. Probably less wholesome, more sullied." She smiled sadly. "Too worldly for the likes of a small town banker now," she finished regretfully.

Duo reached out and picked her hand out of her lap. "I think you're beautiful, Hilde." Duo could feel something break in his heart as he gazed into her eyes. "More beautiful than you'll ever know."

"Thank you, Duo," she whispered.

He leaned forward and kissed her.

_He'd headed west 'cause he felt that a change would do him good_

_See some old friends, good for the soul_

The clock was striking twelve when Duo finally came through the front door. Catherine had been nervously thumbing through a magazine for the past two hours and glancing at the clock every few minutes. Neither she nor Trowa had heard a word from Duo all day and she was now beyond worry. The sound of the front door triggered an immense wave of relief, shortly followed by intense irritation. She took a few seconds to compose herself before getting up to meet him. She caught him halfway up the stairs.

"Where've you been all day, Duo?" she asked softly. He turned around and stared at her a few seconds before responding. 

"I was out with that friend of yours--"

'Friend?' she thought wonderingly.

"Hilde."

Catherine's eyes widened in alarm, but Duo didn't give her a chance to answer.

"She was wonderful, Catherine. I'm so glad to have met her. She's truly a beautiful person." Catherine's heart sank as she saw the enraptured expression on Duo's face.

"Duo--" 

"We bonded in a way that I've never felt with anyone before, something really special." Duo dropped her gaze and rubbed the back of his neck bashfully. "Just listen to me carry on like some love sick calf!" he joked half-heartedly, his eyes not meeting hers. Catherine didn't answer, but Duo was too caught up in his thoughts to notice. Finally, with a sigh, he looked back up and flashed her a tired smile. "I'll head on to bed now. Hilde wants to do something tomorrow morning and I want to be well rested. Goodnight."

Catherine watched him walk up the stairs with a sinking heart. A slight sound on her left caught her attention. She turned to see Trowa staring at her from the darkened doorway of his den. 

"I never thought..."

Trowa shook his head as he walked up and hugged her. "It's not our place, Cathy. He'll only resent us if we tell him." He smiled grimly. "He's going to have to find out for himself."

Catherine sighed and hugged her brother tighter. "Oh, this is going to be painful to watch."

Later that night, against her better judgement but spurred on by loyalty, Catherine called her. Hilde's answering machine picked up. Catherine wasn't surprised. Hilde was usually never home.

"I know you hate me, Hilde, but there's no need to involve my loved ones in your twisted games. Leave Duo alone." She hung up with with a decisive click and tried not to think about what she had just done. Meanwhile, across town in her darkened apartment, Hilde sat and stared at the blinking red light of her answering machine. The moon shone through the large plate glass window behind her. 

She smiled. 

_She had been born with a face that would let her get away_

_He saw her face and he lost all control_

_He had lost all control_

She picked him up at nine on the dot. He was standing quietly at the front door, his stillness at odds with his usual vitality. His eyes lit up as her red sports car pulled up, however. He eagerly climbed in and kissed her.

"Where are we going today?"

"My place," she replied as she shifted gears. "I just wanted to show you my apartment."

"I follow where you go, my good lady," he replied gamely. Hilde merely smiled.

Her apartment was done in contrasting shades of gray and mauve. The furnishings were opulent, much more so than at Catherine and Trowa's. While their place had been similarly elegant, it had managed to impart a comforting sort of quality as well. Oddly, Hilde's place just felt cold. This really didn't matter to Duo, however. He dismissed it as simply a figment of his imagination instead.

"Beautiful place," he commented truthfully as he looked at the beautiful watercolors on the walls. 

"Thanks," Hilde replied from the kitchen. "Would you like a drink?"

"Some water would be nice." She appeared at his elbow seconds later with two glasses in her hand. 

"Toast?" she asked cheerily. 

"To you." Duo lowered his glass and took a drink.

"No. To us." 

Duo stilled and slowly lowered his glass. Her expression was tranquil, but he could see the emotion in her eyes. "Hilde."

She put her glass down carefully on the glass coffee table at their side. He relinquished his glass easily, and soon it joined hers. Straightening up, she looked into his eyes and saw her emotions mirrored in his eyes.

"Duo."

He reached out, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her. The events that followed were both rapturous and painful in their exquisiteness. With tender care, Duo made love to her amidst the soft sheets of her bed. He reveled in each small cry and marveled at each delicate expression that crossed her beautiful face. The act cemented his love for her, creating a permanent place in his heart. When they orgasmed, he felt as if his soul were splitting apart and that half of it would now be forever lost in the beautiful woman beneath him.

"I love you, Hilde," he whispered in the languid aftermath. She raised her head and kissed his lips.

"I know." And then they slept.

He awoke later and stared at her sleeping face for a long time. He was leaving in a few days, but his mind boggled at the idea of leaving her behind. Living without her would be torture.

"Would you come back with me?" She opened her eyes and met his, her gaze uncertain. "It's a small town, a lot like your hometown, but what we have is beautiful, Hilde. It's a once in a lifetime thing."

"I don't know, darling," she replied tentatively. "I would need some time to think."

"I just know that I can't live without you." She closed her eyes and remained silent. Sighing, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. "Take all the time you want, Hilde. Just know that I'll be waiting."

"Thank you, Duo," she replied. They were silent for several minutes before she spoke again. "Could you get me a glass of water, please? I'm rather thirsty."

"No problem, babe," he replied. He rolled out of bed and headed towards the bedroom door. She opened her eyes and stared out the window next to her bed.

"And could you check my answering machine as well? I always forget to do it." Her voice was soft, but her eyes were clear as his affirmative response drifted down the hall towards her. 

"You got it, Hilde baby."

She heard the machine begin to play. She closed her eyes again and smiled.

_Night after night, day after day, it went on and on_

_Then came that morning he woke up alone_

_He spent all night staring down at the lights of LA_

_Wondering if he could ever go home_

The front door slammed shut. The sudden noise jolted Catherine out of her paperwork. Her eyes collided with Trowa's and the guilt in them gave her away.

"You shouldn't have interfered, Catherine," he said quietly. His words were echoed seconds later.

"You shouldn't have interfered, Catherine!" Duo yelled as he strode into the living room. His eyes were bright with anger and betrayal as he stared down at her. "You had no right to go behind my back and try to sabotage things like that!"

"Duo, I--"

"At first, I couldn't believe that you could be so misguided, Catherine, so spiteful. But after Hilde explained things, everything became crystal clear!"

"Duo--" she pleaded as she stood up.

"No, listen to me," he ordered. "Hilde is a beautiful and kind young woman, and whatever bad thoughts you're thinking about her is just wrong. God, I couldn't believe you could be such a jealous bitch!"

"Duo--," Trowa said threateningly from his perch on a chair behind him. 

"She doesn't play any sick, twisted games, Catherine. What you see is something else than the real her, the beautiful her, because your perspective is all warped by your jealousy. She's kind and sweet and caring. And just because you're in love with me doesn't mean you have the right to ruin my fucking life! I love her. She loves me. We love each other. I don't love you."

"Duo, that's enough!" Trowa roared. He strode over and whirled Duo around by the shoulder. "Hilde Schbeiker is a manipulative bitch who couldn't hold a candle to my sister. She has blinded you. She is not anything you think she is because there is _nothing _in her. She is just one empty heartless shell who gets her kicks out of toying with people. People like you."

Duo screamed and punched Trowa in the face. "Shut the fuck up!"

"Trowa!" Catherine yelled as she ran to her brother's side. "Get the hell out!" she yelled tearfully at Duo. "He was only telling the truth! You had no right to hit him at all! Go to hell for all I care! Just get out of here and never come back, you bastard!" 

Duo stared at them in shock as the full impact of his actions sunk in. "Catherine, I--"

"Just leave." 

Her whispered dismissal hit hard. Fighting back tears, he went up the stairs, packed his bags, and walked out the front door. No one stopped him. The last thing he heard before he closed the door was the soft sound of Catherine's crying and the soothing murmur of Trowa's voice. 

_And those Hollywood nights_

_In those Hollywood hills_

_It was looking so right_

_It was giving him chills_

_In those big city nights_

_In those high rolling hills_

_Above all the lights_

_With a passion that kills_

Duo knocked on Hilde's door and waited for a few moments, but no one answered. Frowning, he looked down at his watch. She had said she was going to be in till nine, and it was still seven thirty. Shruggging, he gently tried the knob and was somewhat surprised when it turned beneath his fingertips. The door swung open on silent hinges and Duo quietly walked in without attracting the attention of the figure on the sofa. 

"Yes, Noin, it worked out perfectly," Hilde said into the phone as she gave herself a pedicure. "Oh, he fell for it, all right. He's in love with me. Can you believe it?" A short silence followed by a bark of laughter ensued. "Right. And he honestly believes I'm in love with him! He even invited me back to that shithole in Wisconsin or wherever the hell he's from. He thought I was 'beautiful' enough for it." Raucous laughter followed. "God, he was such an idiot. And the good thing is that he totally fucked up everything with that bitch Catherine and Trowa all because of me. Yes, seriously, he left here this afternoon all in a huff because she dared try to interfere with his love life." A short silence followed. "Yes. I think I got what I was aiming for. In spades, Noin dear, in spades. Stick a fork in her, Catherine is done!"

The girlish giggle that followed contrasted greatly with the with the sheer malice the conversation represented. Duo gazed at her animated profile in something akin to shock as his field of vision narrowed until only her beautiful face filled up his mind. Her dark hair still fell the same way across her face. Her lips still glistened the way they had hours before when he had kissed them. Everything looked the same. But when she finally noticed him and turned her head, Duo noticed instantly the one big difference between what he had perceived and what everyone else had known. The brightness in her eyes was gone. This Hilde was cold.

"Guess who's standing in my doorway, Noin. Yep. And from the look on his face, I think he heard every word of our conversation."

Slowly, with automatic movements he really didn't know he was making, Duo picked up his suitcase, closed the door, and walked towards the elevator. He didn't look back.

_In those Hollywood nights_

_In those Holl__ywood hills_

_She was looking so right_

_In her diamonds and frills_

_All those big city lights_

_In those high rolling hills_

_Above all the lights_

_She had all of the skills_

They called his flight twice before Duo even noticed it was boarding. He picked up his things and slowly made his way towards the long line of passengers. It had been two days since he had last seen Hilde, and his vision had developed this light foggy sheen ever since. For the past two days, he had lain in his bed in his darkened hotel room and had stared blankly at the pebbly ceiling. He had not felt. He had not thought about anything. He had merely existed. A small part of him still capable of functioning feared that he had permanently lost himself. He had given away half of his soul, after all. It was now ensconced within a heartless woman who probably wouldn't even notice it.

He was halfway up the line when he felt a slight tapping on his shoulder. Turning his head, he found himself looking at Catherine. She smiled tentatively.

"Hey. Just wanted to see you before you left." Behind her, Trowa smiled at him without resentment or anger.

"I thought I'd never see the two of you again."

Catherine reached out and took his hand. "We're better friends than that." She looked at him uncertainly. "Right?"

Duo stood still for several minutes, unable to say anything. Misinterpreting his silence, Catherine dropped his hand and began to back away.

"I'm sorry for bothering you, Duo," she began tearfully. "I'm sorry for interfering."

Suddenly coming alive, Duo reached out and drew her in for a tight hug. "Oh God, Catherine. I'm so sorry. I'm so very very sorry." For the first time in two days, Duo felt. He clutched the sobbing woman to his chest and closed his eyes. "I'm so very sorry."

He left several minutes later after promising the both of them that he would call as soon as he got home. Trowa and Catherine stayed to watch his plane take off. Through the crowd, a solitary figure stood and watched them walk away. She had seen Duo arrive, had watched the heartfelt reunion, and had traced the plane's path through the windows with her eyes as it had disappeared into the sky. Catherine and Trowa had walked right by her, but her mirrored sunglasses had disguised her face. As she stood there, she searched for some sort of feeling within her, remorse over what she'd done or maybe sadness over the opportunity she had just lost. She found nothing instead.

"You were wrong, Duo. I wasn't beautiful enough at all," she whispered to herself. She turned and lost herself in the crowd.


End file.
